It appears that Chia Head is determined to hunker down and tighten screws domestically and internationally. However, grains are getting expensive in the international market. This is another burden to N. Korean regime because they will get less grain aids. Nobody has spare money or grains to appease Chia Head. Usual blackmail tactics would be less effective in this circumstance.

Why delay the inevitable? Without outside food aid I doubt if Kim Jung Il could last a year. Of course, chaos would probably be the result, as well as mass starvation, but they’re already starving according to the article. China and the ROK would have a mass refugee problem, but they’re both rich nations. The DPRK needs to go, just as East Germany did.

With the Expansion of North Korea’s Jangmadang, Possibility of a “Mass Starvation” Reduced

By Kim So Yeul

“The reason for the mass starvation that occurred in late 90s is that North Korea faced natural disasters without expanding the markets capability to substitute for the broken planned economy capability, and so the damage to North Korean citizens was inevitably large.”

Dong Yong Seung, the Samsung Economic Research Institute’s Economic Security Team Chief, speaking at the 19th Expert Forum sponsored by the Peace Foundation on the 19th, explained that, “The market in North Korea has expanded in the last 10 years. The supply and demand structure of daily necessities, including food items, has been formed.”

Continued Mr. Dong, “Because the market capacity has expanded, the possibility of a mass-scale starvation occurring is no longer high. In actuality, the change in food prices is being monitored at the market.”

He explained, “If South Korea sends food aid to the North, food provision increases, because the intermediary wholesalers will bring out a lot of the food items that have been held. As a result, there is a decline in the food price. In the areas of trade, a similar phenomenon has been taking place. North Korean trade organizations can achieve their quota due to the plan of the authorities.”

Further, he revealed, “Within North Korean factories, there are family enterprises that were allowed, as affiliated laborers, to produce necessities using the by-products of the factory. Therefore, the market-connected family enterprises were recently supporting factories.”

He explained the result: “Thats why these kinds of family enterprises, which manufacture products through purchasing materials from markets and the factory were raising their profits, even when the factory has not been operating due to the paralysis of the capacity of the planned economy.

Simultaneously, Mr. Dong advised, regarding the North Korean policy of the Lee Myung Bak administration, “There is a need to maintain consistency by reestablishing the basic principles of economic policy towards the North.”

He said, “The reason for pursuing economic cooperation with the North is to promote change in the North and to improve its economic situation through its entry into the international economy. There is a need to reestablish basic principles such as helping to activate the South Korean economy while improving the quality of the North Korean citizens’ lives.”

The trouble is that Chia Head is cracking down on these markets pretty hard now.

He put severe restriction on private trade/business activities. He let people fend off for themselves after the massive famine in mid 90's. However, he apparently does not like what he sees. His vaunted state control has been gradually eroding. Now he want to stem the tide even if it leads to creating some civilian starvation victims.

The last time they had a shortage like this they went in for Soylent Green in a big way.... The older South Korean people still remember their relatives in the north and will want to help ... I hope they send bullets instead of rice...

Can’t believe some military type doesn’t take control in N.Korea and march out chi pet and his ruthless gang.
You have to know that some of the military have been to the south and seen the differences in conditions.

It was the horrible food shortages which originally started the fall of the Soviet Empire. We need to send satellite transmissions over there showing Americans stuffing their faces at those great Tennessee buffets or people looking at which steaks to choose from the tray at a Ruth Chris Steak House.

“We need to send satellite transmissions over there showing Americans stuffing their faces at those great Tennessee buffets or people looking at which steaks to choose from the tray at a Ruth Chris Steak House.”

Well I’ll be, it sounds like fat people will be useful for the first time in a long time.

Whenever I read one of these stories I always think of MASH, and the pomposity of Alan Alda. Everyone on that show was so SURE Korea would be wonderful if the Americans just left. Check out S. Korea. Check out N. Korea.

43
posted on 03/25/2008 9:45:25 AM PDT
by Richard Kimball
(Sure, they'd love to kill me, as long as they can do it without admitting I exist)

We need to send satellite transmissions over there showing Americans stuffing their faces at those great Tennessee buffets or people looking at which steaks to choose from the tray at a Ruth Chris Steak House.

IMO,a much more effective mover would be to transmit TV and radio signals from *South* Korea to ordinary North Koreans.As "Michael81Dus" (a German) knows from personal experience the fact that many ordinary East Germans were able to listen to/watch West German radio and TV played a *huge* role in the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Seeing how South Koreans live day to day (through TV and radio broadcasts) would be far more powerful for their North Korean cousins to see than any photos from this country would be.

You´re right GSC - and pictures are better than radio. Problem is, that maybe just 10% of N Koreans have TV access. And power must be for rich only, as we can see that there are no lights on at night. The people of N Korea is too weak to stand up against their prison-guards. And we can hardly do a thing as long as China supports that - and does almost the same in Tibet.

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